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SEZAR

Multiple award winning SeZaR, Yaël Farber's radical African adaptation of Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR, travelled extensively and garnered critical and audience acclaim from around the world. Re-contextualizing the ancient story of Rome into a potent contemporary Africa, Farber's production generated a heat and excitement amongst both purists of Shakespeare's texts, as well as audiences - including South Africans who were, at the time, debating whether to have Shakespeare removed from school syllabi. Blending Elizabethan iambic pentameter with the isiZulu, isiXhosa, SeSotho and Tswana – as well as TsotsiTaal (the street Vernacular of South Africa) this production forged new ground and was considered a “breakthrough” in South Africa's theatre. The passion with which SeZaR was forged and performed, inspired responses from South Africa and beyond, as Shakespeare “for a new world”. The production travelled internationally for several years before being retired by Farber. Plams to revive SeZaR remain possible as per requests.

THE OXFORD TIMES 2001 “I have never seen a Julius Caesar so raw, so seething with the dynamics of power and betrayal... Stunning... A beautiful feast for eyes and ears... I cannot recommend this production highly enough”Read the article (PDF file)

MAIL & GUARDIAN, JOHANNESBURG “Raw, intense Afro Bard... Subtle genius... The educators who want to remove Shakespeare from the South African school syllabus, must be urged to watch this show”Read the article (PDF file)

THE CITIZEN, JOHANNESBURG “Visceral... A dazzling spectacle of light and colour infused with the passion of Africa... Raw, bloody and graphic... visually sumptuous and conceptually impressive”Read the article (PDF file)

THE STAR, JOHANNESBURG [CUE - NATIONAL FEST OF ARTS]“Exudes a gritty magnificence... If there's one production that could get the nation -young and old - talking and hooked on Shakespeare, SeZaR is it.” Read the article (PDF file)

“How many ages hence Shall this our lofty scene be acted over, In states unborn and accents yet unknown!”

[3.1.112-114]

In February 2000, Newsweek Magazine ran an astonishing cover. A young guerilla soldier, armed to the teeth and brandishing an AK-47, was framed by the shape of Africa. Emblazoned across the image were the words: AFRICA: THE HOPELESS CONTINENT. The statement of this publication was astonishing to me not so much for its controversial and emphatic declaration, but for its limited view of this extraordinary continent. Indeed where we come from - democracy is a precious and fragile commodity. Economies in Africa are at an all time low, and AIDS threatens to devastate populations on an unimaginable scale. And yet there is an enduring strength and hope that prevails. Africa is an extraordinary continent to live on. there is a constant proximity to violence and danger, but it is also a place of immense courage in the face of a constantly tenuous climate. We cannot take political stability for granted here. Charismatic presidents can destroy democracies borne of great sacrifice. In this context, the ancient story of Julius Caesar becomes immeasurably more potent. Nelson Mandela, in the fight for democracy in South Africa, told the court, when handing him a life sentence in prison for “treason”: “It is an ideal for which I am prepared to live. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”.To the world, Brutus is a man of questionable honesty who betrays his dearest friend. To an African audience, one understands the enormity of what is at stake here. Torn between loyalty to a friend and to a hard-won democracy, he makes the agonizing decision to betray a man he would give his life for. Brutus's dilemma has the power to stir deepest sympathy from an African audience.This is not a Julius Caesar for the purists. Removed from its Roman context, the story is set in the fictitious African State of Azania. As in the Elizabethan world, this is a universe filled with portents, omens, significant dreams and ghostly visitations. Modern Europeans are largely disconnected from such “superstitions” but such facets of the invisible world remain a vital and integrated aspect of life in Africa. The text, indeed, lends itself exceptionally well to an African context. Emerging from the shattering damage of colonialism, Shakespeare's relevance and inclusion in school syllabi in South Africa has recently come under scrutiny. Ironically, however, it is in Africa that the raw world of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar has a resonance that has possibly become removed from a modern European reality. Elizabethan verse marries beautifully with the rhythm and poetry of South African vernaculars. IsiZulu, SeTswana, SePedi - as well as Tsotsietaal (various street dialects) are woven into the text - rendering many of the comfortingly familiar lines altered. Language and iambic pentameter are invaded on every level by a new reality - a South African reality. Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a warning for our times. It is a deep investigation into power, honour and integrity. It is a searing journey into corruption, conspiracies and the ramifications of violence on a society. SeZaR is a tribute to the immortal genius of the Bard, but it is also a brazen attempt to communicate the immense beauty, darkness and humanity of the continent we come from.